Wayne gives cash to help rail fight

Wayne officials have committed $10,000 in village funds to help fight Canadian National's proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway.

Village President Eileen Phipps said Wednesday the money would come from the municipality's general fund and could be used for advertising and litigation costs on behalf of a new coalition of towns battling the sale.

Phipps said the coalition, calling itself The Regional Approach to Canadian National, consists of about 30 suburbs, including Naperville, Lake Zurich and Bartlett, and DuPage and Will counties.

It's also supported by U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster among others.

"This is a very organized, committed group," Phipps said. "Initially, we've each committed $10,000. What happens beyond that, we're in the process of deciding as a group. We have not yet fine-tuned exactly what the group's approach will be."

The $300 million railroad sale would allow CN to use about 198 miles of tracks, which form an arc around Chicago from Waukegan to Gary, Ind. The railroad is looking for a way to bypass Chicago.

While CN officials said the deal would benefit the region overall by easing congestion in some 80 towns, critics contend it would result in nightmarish delays and safety concerns at rail crossings in their towns.

The sale requires approval from the federal Surface Transportation Board, which is currently under taking an extensive environmental impact study.

No timeline has been set for the study's completion. The EJ&E is owned by U.S. Steel Corp.